The Champion Of Longsword

As night began to fall Night led the ponies through the forests of Longsword. It had been hard work all day trying to avoid their Reformisten pursuers but they had done okay so far, and with night falling an opportunity presented itself to slip into partisan territory undetected.

The warzone which he was referring to was bit complicated, and saying that the partisans had territory was being a bit generous. In reality it was an area of about 20-30 square miles of cave bases, strongholds of various means of construction, sniper nests, traps, and constantly moving partisan squads. Plus that was only them, nevermind the Black Cloaks.

The ponies that he and the other squads we're transporting we're likely going to go into one of the cave strongholds, as that was we're the non-combatants of the IIA we're usually stationed. In said caves they would use what resources they had to make clothing so they could face whatever weather befell Longsword, ammunition for and the guns themselves, and pretty much anything other than food they produced in these underground factories. They we're also an ideal place to train new recruits for the army, as they we're underground where gunfire was difficult to hear from the surface. As well as a few other reasons.

Right now him, Bandage, Red Dusk, and thanks to Bandage's healing capabilities, Quick Shot we're escorting the ponies as they traveled through the night. They we're spread out with one of them about every 4-5 ponies, with there being around 20 of them in total this made it easier to protect them all in case of an attack and quickly move to where the gunfire was coming from. The first of the other squads and their ponies we're likely just now approaching the Reformisten defensive line.

The Reformisten defensive line was just like you'd think it was. A circle of trenches, artillery guns, machine gun nests, Black Cloaks en masse, plus other weapons and objects of war. It encompassed the entire warzone of which the partisans fought in. It was also probably one of the most fortified military defensive lines on the entire continent of Griffonia. So you'd probably ask how did he plan to cross it... Well it was quite simple actually, that being he didn't plan to cross it. Oh no they we're going to go under it. Using the darkness of the night to cover their movements.

The 50 or so secret tunnels which ran under the Reformisten lines let them secretly move in and out of where their main strongholds we're and still work with other resistance cells across Longsword. As they weren't the only ones resisting the Count and Reformisten, they we're just the most famous ones. The resistance cells that used to be in Hellquill two and a half weeks ago was proof of that.

"Ex-excuse me, sir?" a voice spoke next him. Bringing him out of his thoughts and halting his never ending task of scanning for Black Cloaks Night looked down to see that a small filly had asked the question. She looked beaten if the dried blood on what looked like light tan fur had anything to say, and a lot of her light green mane looked to have been cut out as well. It made his stomach twist to see anypony like this, let alone a child.

Despite this he put on a forced smile for the kid. "Yes little one?" he asked. "Ho-how much longer do we have to g-go?" she asked. "Quite a while still I'm afraid, we need to lose the Black Cloaks pursuing us" he said. "But I don't see any Reformisten?" she replied. He laughed, "that is because they do not want you to see them yet. Or they haven't caught up with us, either or." he replied. The filly didn't respond but did look at her hooves. Night took that as a symbol they hurt and so he picked her up with his magic and put her on his back. It always brought a smile to his face when he could help a pony in need. Griffons we're a bit more difficult in that regard but to be fair he still did whenever he could. He heard a small giggle from behind him. The filly looked to have actually fallen asleep already but that wasn't what had grabbed his attention, no that was Swift Wing. He raised his right hoof in the air to halt the ponies in order to converse with her.

"Ah Swift perfect, I was beginning to worry you had been captured by the Reformisten" he said. "Oh come on Night, getting into messes is your job. It's mine to clean them up" she teased. "Whatever, have you spotted any Black Cloaks yet?" he asked. "Nope, I've been coordinating with scouts from the other squads as well, nothing so far" she reported. "Excellent, that means we are clear to enter tunnel 27 then. Tell Heavy Strike that he is clear to enter as long as the other scouts report that there's no Black Cloak activity" he ordered. "Will do Night" she replied. With that he gave a signal to move out and had just turned around to continue their trek before she called out once more.

"Oh and Night" she called. "Yes Swift, is there a problem?" he asked. "Oh it's nothing Night, you just look adorable with that filly on your back" she replied before taking off to relay his orders. Immediately his face went as red as Red Dusk's coat while his friends and the other ponies laughed and chuckled. Embarrassed he just turned around and continued on towards the entrance to the tunnel.

The entrance to tunnel 27 was actually an old den of a long deceased animal. Mostly hidden by trees and being about 5 miles back from the Reformisten line meant that it went unnoticed by them up till now. Of course just because it was hidden extremely well did not mean that they left it unguarded, and the fact that he couldn't see the current guards meant that they we're up to the standard the partisans applied themselves to.

"The Reformisten occupies our land, what will we do about it?" he spoke aloud to nopony in particular. "We will resist, we will fight, we will bite" a voice replied. Turning around he realized that a pegasus stallion that had replied to him had been up in a tree concealed by his green camouflage clothing which matched the leaves.

"Good evening comrade" he said as he used his magic to deposit the filly into the arms of who he guessed was her mother. "Good evening Commandant Night Storm, Commandant Silver Rush. Pleased to make your acquaintance" he said. "Likewise, have the others already gone through?" he asked. "Others, what others? You are the first to arrive" he replied. Immediately Night drew his rifle from his side. "Shit, they must have been ambushed then" he thought.

"Quickly get the ponies into the tunnel and collapse it behind you, me and my squad w-" but that was as far as he got before around 50 Griffons rose up from the bushes, completely dressed from head to talon in green camouflage. "Take cover!" one of the partisans from Silver's squad yelled before absolute mayhem erupted. The Griffons opened fire first followed by Night and his partisans.

Bullets flew everywhere, as griffon and pony took cover behind trees, rocks, in ditches, and other places. The situation they we're in was nowhere near ideal. The ponies they we're escorting immediately bolted for the tunnel while 2 partisans showed them inside. They we're outnumbered more than 4 to 1, and they we're surrounded. On top of that the other squads and the ponies they escorted we're likely all dead. After gunning down 2 griffons with his rifle he took cover with Red Dusk and began to help reload one of his ammunition belts while using his hooves to fire his rifle. From his position he could see that a griffon squad was flanking around Quick Shot as he was covering some of the ponies they we're escorting. Wasting no time he pulled a grenade from his belt, tore out the pin, and flew as fast as he could towards the griffons. In the blink of an eye he dropped the grenade on the griffon squad while at the same time picked up Quick Shot and the ponies with his magic and dashed away just as the grenade exploded, killing 4 of the Griffons while mortally wounding the last. Night blocked their return fire with a shield spell and quickly deposited the ponies behind a rock.

"Thank you Night" Quick Shot said. "No problem, where's Bandage?" he asked. A quick scan by both of them revealed that Bandage Heart was treating 2 wounded ponies about 25 hooves away from them. It also revealed that the Reformisten we're rapidly advancing. "Alright I'm going to help Bandage and any other stragglers, you cover me and her. The other partisans can handle the ponies who are going for the tunnel" he said. "Understood Night" Quick Shot replied. With that he dashed back into the mayhem, dashing from position to position while shooting and getting shot at. Right now his primary objective was to stop the griffon advance.

Now any normal pony or even unicorn for that matter may have stood no chance at stopping this many griffons. But Night was not a unicorn. He was more powerful then 10 of them put together, and it was high time he demonstrated that again to the Black Cloaks. As he advanced he cut down 4 more griffons with rifle fire while he created a shield around Bandage and the wounded ponies.

Now that he didn't have to worry about potentially friendly firing innocent ponies or partisans he charged a fireball spell. While he was doing this he took off from the ground before pulling a 180 and diving right on top of a Reformisten soldier. He slammed into the bastard with his rear legs while at the same time confiscating his machine gun and using it to pour fire onto more griffons. "That's right, focus on me while Red Dusk takes you all out". The stallion from earlier was indeed mowing down the distracted griffons. Being one of the best gunners the partisans had meant that he was faring quite well against these Black Cloaks.

However at last the time came for Red Dusk to reload once again. He already knew that it took him about 6 seconds to reload the gun so he began to act as bait once more, only this time he was going to be the one to do most of the killing. Slowly working the griffons around he had to where around 10 of them we're with within 20 hooves of each other. Now you may be asking how he was able the amount of fire that 10 griffons we're putting out towards him. Well the answer was simple, that being that he wasn't dodging it. It was simply being absorbed into his shield that he had casted around himself as Bandage had long since relocated her patients.

At last just as Red Dusk managed to reload his gun Night let loose his spell. Having spent so long charging it up meant that the area it covered was massive, completely engulfing the 10 or so griffons he was initially targeting plus others in the area as well. At last seeing that they we're taking heavy casualties the Griffons began to retreat, still pouring fire as they ran. Night and the partisans had prevailed. However he was pissed.

Not only did the other squads likely fail and we're ambushed, but none of their scouts had managed to detect one Reformisten soldier. Somepony was definitely going to answer for this, he knew that.